In the above incorporated patent applications, processes and apparatus are described in which free water-containing agglomerates, preferably pellets, are first preconditioned as a bed in a preconditioning chamber and then discharged into a hopper, or preheating chamber, having a vertical bed wherein the pellets are then heated to an elevated temperature prior to vitrification. The vitrification may be effected in a fossil fuel fired glass melter or an electric melter. Combustion products, for example flue gases from a fossil fuel fired melter, are conveyed substantially in countercurrent flow to the agglomerates to the vertical bed, wherein they release some of their heat by direct contact with the agglomerates therein, and then are withdrawn from the preheating chamber containing such vertical bed and introduced to preconditioning beds where at least some of the water from the free water-containing glass batch agglomerates is removed. In order to most easily control and reliably practice the preconditioning step, it is important that the preconditioning beds have as uniform an upper surface as possible, i.e., that the bed be of a substantially uniform height. That is, there is a need when a stream of gravitationally, downwardly flowing agglomerates are introduced into a preconditioning chamber to provide a technique for diverting that stream so that upon continued gravitational flow the agglomerates will form a bed of substantially uniform height.
In accordance with one feature of this invention there is provided an apparatus for distributing glass batch agglomerates, and especially pellets, into a chamber having an agglomerate supporting bottom portion so as to form a bed in the chamber of substantially uniform height. Generally, the apparatus comprises a vertically disposed duct extending into the chamber and supplying the stream of agglomerates thereto, the longitudinal axis of the duct is substantially coaxial with the vertical axis of the chamber. There is also provided a first hollow member disposed beneath the duct, the member having an open top portion disposed within the flow path of the supplied agglomerates and including a downwardly and outwardly extending perimetrical wall portion also disposed in the flow path. Disposed inwardly of the first member is a second member also having a downwardly and outwardly extending perimetrical wall portion disposed in the flow path of the agglomerates. The apparatus is so arranged and constructed that a portion of the stream of agglomerates supplied through the vertical duct is diverted outwardly upon contact with the perimetrical wall of the first member and another portion, in the nature of a core, of the stream passes through the open top of the first member; at least a portion of that other portion, i.e., the core, is then diverted outwardly upon contact with the perimetrical wall of the second member. Additionally, means are provided for adjusting the position of the members in the chamber relative to the supplied flow of agglomerates.